Laptop for game development

[KazukiT]

I was wondering what would be an optimal laptop for game development. I plan to look into upgrading my 10 year laptop at the end of the year.

Also if this is in the wrong forum please know me know.

 

[Soulrender]

Game development is very generic term, what kind of games you wish to make? 2D, 3D? What engine you plan to use and how much money you can spend for new hardware?

 

[KazukiT]

Game development is very generic term, what kind of games you wish to make? 2D, 3D? What engine you plan to use and how much money you can spend for new hardware?

I still plan to use MV and looking to spend around $1000 to $1400

 

[Frostorm]

This is just out of the price range you listed, but I just bought the following for my sister:

https://www.razer.com/gaming-laptops/Razer-Blade-15/RZ09-03289EQ1-R3U1

However, that one is pink...here's the same laptop in black:

https://www.razer.com/gaming-laptops/Razer-Blade-15/RZ09-03289E21-R3U1

The Razer features a GTX 1660Ti and has great specs all around, but it's $1599.

Otherwise this Lenovo is also really good bang for your buck: ($1289)
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/legion-laptops/legion-5-series/Legion-5i-15/p/81Y6000FUS

This particular model has an RTX 2060! It's usually also $1599 but you save $310 (eCoupon: GAMING4U) when you buy from the Lenovo website.

 

[Soulrender]

- Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E470
- ASUS ZenBook UX461UN-DS74T
- Acer Predator Helios 300

These are my recommendations, some of them might be a little over max you can spend, by in my opinion is better wait and save more money to buy something better, than spend right away and soon visit service point.

 

[Frostorm]

- Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E470

I haven't looked into the Asus or the Acer, but that Lenovo uses integrated graphics, which is totally sufficient for MV, but imo having a dedicated GPU (mid-tier is fine) would allow for a vastly greater number of titles to be playable at decent FPS/settings.

Especially the Lenovo Legion 5i, which has a RTX 2060 for less than $1.3k! That's why my friend ordered one 2 weeks ago, and now his laptop is superior to my desktop...

These are my recommendations, some of them might be a little over max you can spend, by in my opinion is better wait and save more money to buy something better, than spend right away and soon visit service point.

I also agree that it's better to spend a bit more so you get a more "future-proofed" machine.

 

[Soulrender]

Then I doubt You find something reasonable for 1.400 bucks, perhaps used but not new.
Besides you mentioned about playing 8 mins ago and did not tell in first post, so my recommendations would be different.

 

[Frostorm]

Oof, I just checked...the Lenovo E470 is no longer in production. They're on the E490 now, which starts at $1689 but still only has integrated graphics...so not worth it imo. See for yourself:

https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-e-series/E490

If going the used laptop route, I'd recommend buying a fast & decently sized SSD to put into said laptop. Most often than not, the hard drive is usually the bottleneck of a system.

 

[Dalph]

Avoid Razer stuff, it's trash with poor quality control and massively overpriced.
Just flashy flashy colorful crap.

Lenovo is good but tbh do you really wanna spend 1000-1400 bucks for a pc you will use exclusively for Rpg Maker?
If you play games too then it's a whole different story.
Depends about what you really wanna do there, if you play games too just go with any Lenovo Legion (it's good, affordable and has a solid cooling system), if its just for game development with RPG Maker then go with something lighter.

It's not worth to have a 2-3kg brick with Nvidia RTX if you just use RPG Maker.

I had multiple bad experiences with Asus and I can't recommend it (still better than Razer though), Dell and MSI are ok.

 

[Soulrender]

Or you can spend approx 100$ bucks and renovate your current laptop. My friend at local PC store did that to my ASUS k50in wich is much older than yours and in regular work (internet, office, videos) gets slightly lower results than my regular desktop PC wich has 8 core CPU, Radeon 370 and 8GB RAM.

In my case I added another 2GB RAM in my laptop, replaced HDD with higher capacity, cleaning, replaced cpu paste in cooling system, some additional tweaks, fixing screen frame and some other stuff just for 90$ (worktime + parts)

 

[Frostorm]

- ASUS ZenBook UX461UN-DS74T

This Asus looks really nice and uses a Geforce MX150 (an entry-level GPU). 14" is also my favorite screen size for laptops. But honestly, if I'm spending anywhere over a grand on a laptop, it should definitely at least have a dedicated GPU (pref at least GTX 1660Ti).

- Acer Predator Helios 300

This Acer is a really nice package. Great specs and a decent price, what more can you ask for? Here's a link to Amazon's for Acer's Predator Helios 300.

@KazukiT If this laptop is only needed for RPG Maker, you can honestly make do with a cheap, entry-level laptop around the $500-600 range. Spend a bit on a nice SSD to minimize load times and you're pretty much good. Also make sure both RAM slots are filled (most entry-level laptops only include 1 stick of RAM) so dual-channel is utilized.

Avoid Razer stuff, it's trash with poor quality control and massively overpriced.
Just flashy flashy colorful crap.

I partially agree with this sentiment, just not as harshly lol. I got the pink Razer for my sister almost exclusively because she wanted a PINK laptop. I'm also definitely a Lenovo fan, so forgive my bias but I've always had good experiences w/ Lenovo laptops.

Or you can spend approx 100$ bucks and renovate your current laptop.

This is honestly the best course of action (if $ is an important factor).

 

[Dalph]

@Frostorm
I prefer Lenovo as well over all of them, I never had a single problem with the brand.
Asus on the other hand...made me cry bloody tears everytime.

 

[Touchfuzzy]

I had multiple bad experiences with Asus and I can't recommend it (still better than Razer though), Dell and MSI are ok.

As a counterpart, I've used nothing but Asus for like the last 10 years and have nothing but good things to say about their laptops.

(This is the one I'm using right now, which does fit into what OP is looking for.)

(also before starting with Asus, I used to use Dells. And the last model I had actually had a class action lawsuit because they caught on fire )

 

[Galv]

I find that interesting - I've had one Asus laptop and swear I will never buy one ever again. Went back to repair under warranty 3 times and still had issues after warranty ended. I also have never had a good experience with Dell products, though.

I've had good experiences with Acer, though.

 

[KazukiT]

Avoid Razer stuff, it's trash with poor quality control and massively overpriced.
Just flashy flashy colorful crap.

Lenovo is good but tbh do you really wanna spend 1000-1400 bucks for a pc you will use exclusively for Rpg Maker?
If you play games too then it's a whole different story.
Depends about what you really wanna do there, if you play games too just go with any Lenovo Legion (it's good, affordable and has a solid cooling system), if its just for game development with RPG Maker then go with something lighter.

It's not worth to have a 2-3kg brick with Nvidia RTX if you just use RPG Maker.

I had multiple bad experiences with Asus and I can't recommend it (still better than Razer though), Dell and MSI are ok.

I also use Photoshop CS5 on my current laptop, does that change anything you reccomended?

@Soulrender Where would I go to get it upgraded and how long do you think it would take?

 

[Frostorm]

I also use Photoshop CS5 on my current laptop, does that change anything you reccomended?

Not really, but for Photoshop some extra RAM (or fast RAM) wouldn't hurt. The CPUs of any current-gen laptop should be more than sufficient as well. The real question is whether you'll be doing any gaming or using software that requires 3D rendering. This will dictate whether you need a dedicated GPU or not.

@Soulrender Where would I go to get it upgraded and how long do you think it would take?

I've been building computers since I was 14yo. If all you need is a RAM or HD upgrade, I could probably show you how to do it yourself or you could watch YouTube vids or look up a local computer repair place. If you really want though, I could do it as well if you want to ship it (I live in SoCal). I can also replace the thermal paste w/ stuff that's much better than stock. But honestly, it's super easy. All you really need is a screwdriver.

Do you know the model and/or specs of your current laptop?

 

[Former_Sky]

If you're just looking to run MV there are a lot of options, since any of the rpg maker games don't require heavy specs to run it. I have a windows 7 laptop that runs VX Ace just fine. I'd recommend looking at what else you need for a laptop first and then base your decision on that, because RPG Maker will run fine on almost anything you put it on.

 

[KazukiT]

@Frostorm I think I might renovate and upgrade it. I might take it to a local Best Buy or other electronic store to do so.

 

[Frostorm]

Don't have Best Buy and their "Geek Squad" work on it...they're such a rip off lol. I suggest one of those smaller shops that mostly sell/fix computers & computer parts. Just find whichever nearby that has the highest reviews/rating. If you're gonna use Best Buy, then you should definitely decide exactly which parts you want to upgrade and purchase said parts online. Then have them install it for you. This way they won't have the opportunity to sell you sub-par parts for more money than they're worth. Also, turn down any extended warranties and other such extraneous waste of monies.

 

[kaukusaki]

I used dells until that one caught fire now I use HP. No issues since lol
My current rig is the hp omen. I caught the last year's model for 1k the low end runs between $12/1500 and pretty much will handle anything you throw at it.
I know it's overkill for rpg maker but I also dev in 3d and my programs needed a good graphics card and lots of ram (32gb isnt overkill is it? Lol)